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Top Azure Services every business should know
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Microsoft Azure is a powerful cloud platform packed with services designed to help organizations innovate, scale, and operate more efficiently. Azure has all the tools organizations need to run their business. In this post, we will explore some of the most widely used and business-critical Azure services you should know about.

Azure Storage Services
Azure Storage provides scalable and secure cloud storage solutions for various data types, including blobs (files), tables (NoSQL), queues (messaging), and disks (virtual machines). It supports both structured and unstructured data.

Best Use Cases
  • Storing backups or large amounts of unstructured data.
  • Hosting static websites using Blob Storage.
  • Used by VM's for persistent disk storage.
Azure Key Vault Service
Azure Key Vault is a cloud service used to store sensitive information like secrets, keys, and certificates securely. It helps centralize secret management and control access using role-based permissions.

Best Use Cases
  • Securing API keys, database connection strings, or passwords.
  • Managing encryption keys for data-at-rest or data-in-transit.
Azure Container Registry
Azure Container Registry (ACR) is a private Docker registry where you can store and manage container images. It integrates well with CI/CD pipelines and Kubernetes clusters.

Best Use Cases
  • Hosting internal Docker images for microservices.
  • Automating image builds from GitHub repositories using ACR Tasks.
Azure Service Health
Azure Service Health provides personalized health alerts and guidance when Azure services impact your resources. It gives insight into ongoing incidents and planned maintenance affecting your environment.

Best Use Cases
  • Monitoring the health of your running services.
  • Getting proactive notifications before scheduled maintenance.
Azure Firewall
Azure Firewall is a managed, stateful firewall service that provides network-level security for Azure Virtual Networks. It filters traffic based on application rules (FQDNs) and network rules (IP addresses and ports).

Best Use Cases
  • Centralized network filtering for multiple subnets.
  • Protecting against unauthorized outbound traffic.
Azure Traffic Manager
Azure Traffic Manager routes user traffic globally based on routing methods such as performance, priority, or weighted distribution. It works at the DNS level.

Best Use Cases
  • Load balancing between global Azure regions.
  • Disaster recovery by redirecting traffic to a healthy endpoint.
Azure ExpressRoute
ExpressRoute enables private, dedicated connections from on-premises networks to Azure without going over the public internet. It offers higher reliability, faster speeds, and lower latency than typical internet-based connections.

Best Use Cases
  • Hybrid cloud architectures requiring secure and consistent connectivity.
  • Data migration between on-premise and cloud.
Azure VPN Gateway
Azure VPN Gateway connects on-premises networks to Azure virtual networks over an encrypted tunnel using IPsec/IKE. It’s commonly used for hybrid cloud setups.

Best Use Cases
  • Connecting branch offices to Azure VNet.
  • Secure remote access for employees working from home.
Azure Content Delivery Network (CDN)
Azure CDN caches content at edge locations around the world to deliver it faster to end-users. It reduces latency and improves performance for web assets like images, videos, scripts, etc.

Best Use Cases
  • Accelerating delivery of static content.
  • Live streaming events to global audiences.
Azure DDoS Protection
Azure DDoS Protection safeguards cloud applications from Distributed Denial of Service attacks by monitoring and mitigating abnormal traffic patterns.

Best Use Cases
  • Protecting public-facing web apps and APIs.
  • Ensuring business continuity during cyberattacks.
Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) is a managed Kubernetes service that simplifies deploying, managing, and scaling containerized applications using Kubernetes orchestration.

Best Use Cases
  •     Microservices architecture.
  •     Continuous deployment pipelines with Helm and CI/CD tools.